The future of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was among the main topics of discussion at a two-day meeting of the agriculture chambers of the Visegrad Group countries that wrapped up in Veszprém, in western Hungary, on Wednesday.
Balázs Győrffy, the head of the National Chamber of Agriculture, told a press conference after the session that the farm chamber leaders had all argued for keeping the budget of the CAP at its current level. They also called for either increasing or keeping subsidies on agricultural production at 15%. The first day of the meeting covered the need for increasing the share of biocomponents in fuel blends, Győrffy said. The session was attended by the leaders of an organisation comprising 31 central and eastern European biofuel manufacturers. He cited the grouping as saying that by increasing the share of biofuel, the region could reduce its dependence on oil. Furthermore, the GMO-free byproducts of biofuel could help reduce the dependence on genetically-modified soya imports, he added. Industry leaders had recommended that the V4 agricultural chambers should urge their countries’ decision makers to increase the share of biofuel to 10 volume percent in petrol and 7 volume percent in diesel fuel, Győrffy said.